Salt spray flies. Wind scours the coast. Most plants flinch. This one does not. Native pimpernel is a small, creeping herb with fleshy, spoon-shaped leaves. They are edible and have a mild, slightly salty flavour. A few leaves can add a salty freshness to a salad. It is a taste of the marsh. The leaves are arranged in a basal rosette. Several leaves cluster at the base of the plant. They are thick and succulent. This adaptation helps them survive the salty conditions of the coastal zone. The stems are creeping. They root at the nodes and often form dense mats. The plant holds the salt marsh together. The flowers are small and white. They have five petals fused at the base. They appear in summer and are followed by small, capsule-like fruits containing the seeds. Insects pollinate the flowers. Native pimpernel is a plant of the coastal zone. It grows in salt marshes, along estuarine margins, and on coastal cliffs. It tolerates high levels of salt and occasional inundation by seawater. It is an important component of salt marsh communities. It provides food and shelter for small animals. The name māia means brave or steadfast. This refers to the plant’s ability to thrive in harsh coastal conditions. It is a plant that does not flinch in the face of salt spray and wind. To find native pimpernel is to walk the salt marshes and estuarine margins. The tide comes in. The plant is inundated. The tide goes out. The plant is fine. It does not know it is brave. It does not know it is steadfast. It just wants to grow where the salt spray flies. A plant of the brave coast. A survivor of the salt. Populations are considered stable but localised. The species is common in suitable coastal habitats throughout its range. It is threatened by ongoing coastal development. Habitat loss from coastal development is the primary threat. Climate change affects coastal habitats and sea level rise. Competition from introduced weeds is also a factor. The edge of the land is under pressure. The pimpernel holds its ground.